Beer-keg washer



(No Model() 4 sheetssheen 1.

A. SCHULTZ.

BEER KEG WASHER.

No. 318,806. Patented May 19, 1885.

N. PETERS, Phelauxhognpher. wahngwm D. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. SOHULTZ.

` BEER KEG WASHER. No. 318,306. Patented May 19, 1885.

N. PETERS? Phmmnmgnpmr. wuhingmn. n. c.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet:` 3. A. SCHULTZ.

. l BEER KBG WASHER. No. 318,306. yPadaented May 19, 1885.

N. Pneus. mnu-umgnpmr. wa-hingm. n e

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM SCHULTZ, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

BEER-KEG WASHER.

.l-PECILFIUATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,306, dated May19, 1885.

Application filed March'l, 1854. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADAM SoHUL'rz, of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new andusefulImprovements in Beer-Keg Washers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention .relates to apparatus or mas chinery for scrubbing orwashing the external surfaces of beer-kegs, barrels, and similararticles, and has for its object the construction of an apparatus inwhich the entire operation of charging the Same with kegs, scrubbing thekegs, and finally discharging the cleaned kegs from said apparatus shallbe accomplished mechanically, without manual labor, and with thesmallest possible. consumption of water. The apparatus is also designedto clean the kegs much more rapidly than by any other method ofscrubbing with which I am acquainted.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectionalelevation of my improved scrubbing-machine. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof;Fig. 3, elevation of gearing on the driving side of the machine. Figs.lland 5 are detached views of the devices for feeding the kegs tothemachine. Fig. 6 is a detached view of the endless keg-conveyer chainand sprocket-wheel; Fig. 7, elevation of gearing on the driven side ofthe machine. Figs. S, 9, and 10 are detached views of devices forshifting the vertical or end brushes to receive and discharge the kegs.Fig. 11 is a section through horizontal or side brush, and Fig. 12 is ade. tachedviewof the spring-beari ng foi-sprocketwheel and endlesschain.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.

A is a large tank, made water-tight at the `joints, of wood or metal,into which water is introduced to the level indicated by dotted lines x.r of Fig. l.

B is ashaft, j ournaled at I) in a bearing formed in or attached totheside of tank A, and in bearings b b placed outside of tank.

B is a hollow or tubular shaft, mounted upon shaft B, and provided withthe pulley Bto which motion is transmitted from asteamengine or otherprilne mover by belt in the customary manner.

Biis aspur-pinion, and B* a spur-gear,trans mittin g motion from shaft Bto shaft B5, mounted in bearings b2 BG is a spur-pinion, and BT aspur-gear, transmitting motion from shaft B5 to shaft B. The rela-tionof pinions B3 B6 to spur-gears B4 and B7 is such that shaft B5 revolvesat one-half the speed of shaft Band shaft B revolves at one-half thespeed of shalt B5 and one-fourth the speed of shaft B. Theseproportional speeds are not absolute, but are what I prefer to employ.

To the inner end of hollow shaft B', I attach by keying, 0r in anyapproved manner, the spur-gear C, (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and inelevation in Fig. 3,) which gear communicates a rapid motion to pinionsD D', which pinions, respectively, drive the horizontal or side brushes,d, and vertical or end brushes, d. The brushes cl are mounted uponshafts d2, journaled at their ends in the housings E lfl, which housingsare securely keyed or otherwise mounted upon and caused to re- Volvewith shaft B, while the brushes d are mounted upon short shafts di",journaled in the housings E E.

Upon the side of the machine next to hol low shaft B the pinions D D',and consequently the brushes d d,are driven from spurgear C, Fig. 3; butupon the side of machine lopposite hollow shaft B (see Fig. 7) thepinion D:s and brushes d are driven by the spur gears or pinions D onthrough shafts dt. The proportions of pinions D2 D are such that therate of motion imparted to the vertical brushes d upon the side ofmachine next to housing la" is the same as upon the side of machine nextto housing E and spur-wheel C; but the motion of vertical brushes d uponopposite sides of the machine willv bein opposite directions.

The housings E E being securely keyed to shaft B, itfollows that asshaft B revolves at one-fourth the speed of shaft B, and consequently ofspur-gear C, the housings and brushes (l d will have a motion around theaxis of shaft B in the direction of arrows, Fig. 1, ata comparativelyslow rate, while the brushes (l d are revolved about their axes in thedirection of the arrows, Fig. 1, at a comparatively rapid rate tocleanse the keg.

The spurwheel (l is shown as possessing fifty teeth, while the pinions Dhave. thirty teeth, and the pinion D twenty teeth, and said spur-wheel Cmakes four revolutions to one revolution of shaft B, whence the brushesd d will revolve at eight times the speed of housings E E', or onecomplete circuit of housings E E produces eight revolutions of thebrushes d d. Assuming the normal speed of the machine to be twelverevolutions per ininnte, equivalent to the delivery of forty-eight kegs,then the scrubbing-brushes d d will revolve at a speed of ninety to onehundred revolutions per minute.

F F are sprocket wheels, mounted upon shafts f f', which latter arejournaled in suitable bearings in the sides of tank A, around whichsprocket-wheels and ant-i-friction rollers f2 is trained the endlesschain G. The antifriction-rollers are mounted on shafts f, and turn insuitable bearings in sides oftank A.

Referring to Fig. 1, the side of chain G next to shaft B has a motioncoincident with housings E FJ, as indicated by the arrows.

VH is an inclined railway, upon which the kegs are laid and down whichthey roll by gravity to the chute or opening H,where the Vswingingspring-lever 7L in conjunction with the abutment h retains each keguntil it is au tomatically fed into the machine. The swingingspring-lever consists of the lever 71, shaft 71.*, and two arms, It lz,pendent from shaft r. The latter carry at their extremities the detentshwhich engage with the external surface of the keg below the horizontalcenter there of, as showniu Fig. 1. rlhe abutment 71.', secured rigidlyto tank A, and the detent h2 on swinging spring-lever l1, are faced withrubber to increase the frictional contact of the surfaces with externalsurface of keg. The lever 71y is pivoted in suitable bearings under thein ner end of railway H, and is pressed toward the keg by the spring h".The lower end of lever h whenin position (shown by full lines of Figs. 1and 5) engages with the projecting end of shafts di, (upon which thehorizontal brushes are monnted,) and as the housing E revolves forwardt-he lever h is pressed away from the keg, as shown by dotted lilies,Fig. 5, until the detent ht and abutment h release it, when it drops inbetween two vertical or end brushes, rl, and two horizontal or sidebrushes, d, where it is retained by the endless chain G until it isscrubbed, and finally discharged from the machine. Directly the keg isreleased from abutment 71, and dctent It' the swinging lever h isvforeedback to its normal position by spring 71?", to intercept and retain thenext succeeding keg in chute H.

The normal position of the vertical brushes fl is such that t-hebristles are pressed with sufficient force against the ends of the kegto readily scrubv away any dirt on the heads thereof, but in order toadmit or receive the dirty keg from chute H between the end brushes, (Z,which assist in the discharge of the scrubbed keg at the end of itscircuit from the machine, the end brushes or one of each pair (of whichfour pair are shown in the drawings) must have a longitudinal motionupon their shafts d" sufficient to clear the chine of the keg. rllhis Iaccomplish by the devices shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, of which d* is anannular groove cut in the hub of brush d', into which is fitted theshipper-bar I. lis a fulcruni,attached to and revolving with the housingE, in which the shipper-bar 1 is pivoted.

l is a spindle, pivoted to the extreme end of shipper bar I, and playinglongitudinally through a guide, c, in housing E, as shown in Fig. S.

J J are concentrica-lly disposed inclined planes, rigidly attached tosides of tank A, one, J, above, and the other, J, below, the plane ofshaft B, with which the outer ends of spindle l intermittingly engage,as the shaft B and housings E E make their revolution.

The spindle l', engaging with inclined plane J or J, as the case may be,the spindle and outer end of shipper-bar I are pressed inward, as shownby dotted lines of Fig. 8, while theinner end of shi pper-bar andvertical brush d are pressed outward, as shown by dotted lines, samefigure, sufficiently to either receive the keg from chute H or dischargethe keg after being scrubbed, as the spindle 1 engages withinclinedplanes J or J', respectively. Directly thespindle I,by the revolution ofhousing F1, has passed the inclined plane J or J', the brush d is forcedback by spring t" to its normal po sition on shaft d, as shown in fulllines of Fig. S. The hub of brush d is splined, and is driven by afeather set in the shaft cl3. Each of the vertical brushes d. upon thedriving side of the machine is -provided with the devices just describedfor producing the longitudinal motion of brushes rl; but only twoinclined planes are required, one to operate the devices to receive thekeg, and the other to operate the devices to discharge the keg.

The horizontal brushes d are provided with rings d5, (see Fig. 11,)which loosely fit the core or wooden center of the brush and roll aroundthe saine b v frictional contact with the keg. The rings (l5 limit thepressure of the keg on thebristles of the horizontal brushes d. Theendless chain G is driven from sprocket wheel F, and this in turn drivenfrom tubular shaft B by spur-wheels Fl Fi".

The endless chain G is geared to travel at such a speed as will roll thekeg through one complete revolution upon its own axis between the pointswhere it is received and discharged by the scrubbing mechanism.

K is a lifter, consisting of the four hooked arms L 7.', mounted uponshaft K, which latteris liournaled in suitable bearings in the sides oftank A, and also in bearing It" outside of the tank.

Upon the outer end of shaft K is keyed a sprocket-wheel, L, and uponshaft B, Fig. 2, is keyed a sprocket-wheel, L, transmitting motion byendless chain LL to shaft K', and consequently to the hooked arms k 7oof lifter l. The sprocket-wheel L is twice the diameter ofsprocket-wheel L, to canse the shafts B and K to revolve at the sameangular speedthat is, cach revolut-ion of shaft B and hous- IOO ings E Eis accompanied by a corresponding revolution of lifter K.

The housings E E' and brushes d d', with their respective mountings, inconjunction with the endless chain G, to roll the keg. I term thescrubber or washerf7 and the hooked arms 7l: 7s and shaft K' and itsdrivinggear, I term the liften the latter being designed to receive thecleaned kegs from the scrubber and deliver them successively, as shownin Fig. 1, to the inclined railway M, from whence they roll away bygravity to the charging-cellar.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 12 itwill be observed that the shaft ofsprocketwheel 1?' is mounted in elastic bearings, one on each end ofshaft f', which, by the pressure of spring ft against the movablebearingf, mounted in guides f t, keeps thedescending side of chain Itaut, and holds the kegs firmly against the rings d on horizontalbrushes d until delivcred to the lifter K.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Water being supplied to thelineI x fr in tank A, and power transmitted to pulley B2 to give motionto the scrubber, the kegs are placed upon inclined railway H, asillustrated by the dotted circles of Fig. 1, and roll down into thechute H', where they are retained by devices h h' lr h, Figs. 4 and 5,until delivered to the scrubber by the contact of projecting end ofshaft d2 with springlevcr 71., (the vertical brush d upon the drivingside of the machine having been shifted by the devices shown in Figs. 8,9, and 10 to receive the keg.) rIhe k eg is received between twovertical brushes d' and two horizontal brushes d resting on rings di andpassed around the scrubber, as shown in Fig. l, during which process thebrushes d d' are revolved against the side and ends ofnkeg in the waterot' tank A. Directly the keg has passed beyond the supporting infiuenceof endless chain G it is caught by the hooked arms of lifter K anddelivered to the inclined railway M.

The water in the tank is renewed as required, and the tank may besupplied with inlet and outlet pipes and valves for convenience inmanaging the water-supply; but in every instance the water of tank Aisused until its condition is unsuited to the cleansing of kegs, when thefoul water is discharged and a new tankful supplied. In this manner nowater is wasted as in the processes now in general use by breweries,where the water is proj ected by hose or nozzles under pressure againstthe kegs to wash off the dirt. These are details not material to myinvention, and are not show in the drawings.

I do not wish to confine myself to the arrangement of drivinggear shown,because this may be varied to suit different applications ofthe machinewithout departing from the principles of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a machine forscrubbing kegs, thel combination of a series of horizontal revolvingbrushes and a series of revolving vertical brushes, with devices,substantially as shown, for delivering the kegs to the revolvingscrubhing-brushes and removing the cleaned keg from said brushes, and awatertight tank, A, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for scrubbing kegs, the colnbination of the series ofhorizontal revolving brushes d, the series of revolving vertical brushesd', and the housings E E',with devices, substantially as shown, for thedelivery of the keg to the brushes and removing the cleaned keg from thebrushes, substantially as dcscribed.

3. In a machine for scrubbing kegs, the combination of a feed mechanismconsisting of the swinging lever h, detents 71.2, and abutments h', withthehorizontal revolving brushes and the vertical revolving brushesarranged, substantially as shown, to receive the kegs from the said feedmechanism, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for scrubbing kegs, the combination, with housings E E',horizontal vbrushes d d, and rings d5, of the endless chain G andsprocket-wheels F F', substantially as described.

5. In a. machine for scrubbing kegs, the combination of thekeg-discharging mechanism consisting of the revolving lifter 75,-havinghooked arms k lc, and the inclined track llLwith the revolving brushesadapted to scrub the kegs and the conveyer for delivering` the kegs tothe discharging mechanism, substan- -tially as described.

ADAM soHULTz.

fitnessesz CHAs. ANDERSON, JOHN W. HILL.

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